"What am I going to do?" "…You have some life left. My advice is: live it well."

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In the movie “Joe Versus the Volcano” Joe Banks discovers he has a terminal disease called a “brain cloud”. When he asks the doctor what he should do with his remaining four or five months of life the doctor’s advice is simple: “You have some time left, Mr. Banks. You have some life left. My advice is: live it well.”

Most of us live our lives believing there is a tomorrow, and thus we approach life like there will always be a tomorrow. Want to get in shape and lose 30 pounds – there is tomorrow. Want to learn a musical instrument – there is tomorrow. Want to learn a second language – there is tomorrow. Want to start that new hobby, sport, or other activity – there is tomorrow. Since there is always a tomorrow nothing ever happens; we do the same routine tomorrow that we did today. Suddenly you find that life has a expiration date, like Joe did, and then things start to happen. Your life had an expiration date the day you were born, you just don’t know when it is. Why wait until there are only five months left to live you life well when you can start doing it today? Wouldn’t it be better to live you life well for the next 30, 40, or 50 years?

Sometimes people wait until some milestone is achieved, i.e. the kids leave the house, when they retire. Then when that milestone arrives they feel they’re too old to start or to lose their old habits. I started playing the violin when I was 49 – it’s a long story why I waited until then, and perhaps it will be the subject of another post. The point I’m trying to make is simple: I don’t view myself as old, I don’t live my life like I’m old, and I don’t behave like I’m old, which is essentially my motto in life: “Think young, act young, be young.” When people find out how old I was when I started playing the violin I usually get one of two reactions: “Really?” or “Good for you.” People act as if learning a new skill at that “advanced” age is unusual, and it sadly it is. Life is a continuous process and either you are growing and full of life, or you are stagnating and dying. Many chose stagnation and death.

I enjoy reading the blogs of the manosphere for the reasons I just listed. Granted, the main driving force behind most of the manosphere is teaching men how to act and become Alpha so they can attract women; but, the advise they give improves the lives of their readers: get in shape, dress better, have confidence in yourself, approach women – in other words improve yourself and claim what you want to make yours. All of these things allows men – young and old – to live their lives well.

I am on the manosphere journey as well. This blog is to record my efforts to lose the Beta mentality that I have ingrained in my psyche. It will also record the other activities I am doing to live my life well by the standards I set forth for me. It will talk about guns, hunting, fishing, my health improvement, and my efforts with women. It will also document the mistakes of my past so that young men won’t make them.